


A Falcon in the Wind

by PotatoCakes24



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Airships, Alternate History, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26583496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotatoCakes24/pseuds/PotatoCakes24
Summary: The adventures of a small airship and her crew through a bunch of mysterious floating isles in the Pacific. Adventure! Action! Romance! And plenty of airship goodness.
Kudos: 5





	1. A New Arrival

The blonde haired girl leaned against the railing, peering down at the sweeping blue hull of the passenger ship. Countless portholes lined the side, perring out at the endless ocean. Kind of a boring trip, really. Setting off from Mexico, spirits had been high, and the stop at the Galapagos was nice too. Cute turtles! Or were they tortoises? To Agneta, the two were pretty much the same. After that, though, just water. Nothing but water in every imaginable direction. But, much to her delight, it might all be over soon; it’s not like they’d launch the ship up into the air just randomly, right? Word on the ship was that they were near their destination, a port town by the name of Torregon. Agneta couldn’t wait to see it. A proper town, all the way up on an island in the sky! Apparently, it was one of the more boring and regular ones in the Wandering Isles, but it was still something!

A sudden yell caught Agneta’s attention. It was a sailor, and he was pointing at… oh. The big, looming island above them. Awestruck by the sheer size and scale, and by the fact that she somehow managed to completely miss it, Agneta just sort of stared at the big hunk of floating rock. It just looked so green. Even the bottom, which would have normally been underwater, was covered in moss. Or bushes. Hard to tell from this far away. As the realisation that she was about to set foot on it dawned on her, she grinned, and reluctantly went back to her cabin to pack. Most of her things, jackets, fur hats, and whatnot, were all but useless here, but it’d be a shame to just throw them overboard! As a result, while her triple crown marked knapsack was relatively light, carrying only the essentials, her actual travelling case was very much the opposite. And if it wasn’t recognisable enough, it even had Agneta Hellquist stamped on the side in big yellow letters, just to be safe.

After a boring, tedious packing session in her cabin, Agneta resurfaced from below decks just in time to see the ship get moored to the dock, which involved a rather complicated system of winches, pulleys, and lots and lots of tugging. A gangplank was deployed, and the crowds aboard flooded onto the dock, with a rather exasperated Agneta in the middle, trying her best not to get squished, or pushed off accidentally. Seemed like a risk, anyhow. Eventually, the people all went their separate ways, apart from Agneta, who was stuck staring at an information board, trying to glean something, anything useful from it.

Sighing, Agneta squinted against the glare of the sun, and brought her hand up to her forehead. That was the one thing that hadn’t really changed since Sweden. The sun always seemed to be bright, no matter where you were. As her gaze drifted downwards, so did her enthusiasm, until finally, she spotted it! ‘Town Centre, 200m ahead’. An unassuming message, but it raised Agneta’s spirits. After making sure she hadn’t forgotten any bags, boxes, or pouches anywhere, she set off down the busy streets, apologising profusely to the many people she inevitably bumped into along the way. Scraps of conversation managed to reach her over the general hubbub, little of which Agneta understood.  
"My good man, flying jaguars? Preposterous!"  
"C'est bizarre qu'il n'y a pas d'indigènes ici, non?"  
"¿Escuchaste sobre los disturbios en México? ¡Espero que no tengamos esos problemas aquí!"

But now came the second problem. The smudgy, crinkled note she’d taken down had the meeting place marked down as “The Parrot and The Pirate”... and it was nowhere to be seen!   
Until Agneta realised that the big, hanging name plaque was going to be in Spanish. Duh. 

And of course, this revelation had come after she’d already passed the place, which meant backtracking through a bustling, mildly miffed crowd, who all seemed to be going the opposite way Agneta was. Naturally. Eventually though, after yet more apologising, she’d reached the taphouse. With the tinted windows, heavy set door, and barely audible merriment from inside, it seemed an odd mix of imposing, yet welcoming. Taking a deep breath, Agneta stepped inside.


	2. An Interview, A Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agneta meets new people! Two of which are actually important! And, she even gets a new job. What a great day for her, huh?

Promptly after stepping into the inn, Agneta very nearly tripped over something. Thankfully, her unwieldy travelling case acted as a sort of counter balance, and kept her upright. Stifling a yelp of surprise, she quickly glanced down to see exactly what had almost caused her a mortifying amount of embarrassment.

Ah. A drunkard. Passed out on the floor, right in front of the door, almost like he wanted to trip people up. He reminded Agneta of Magnus, her cat, just because of that. Sighing, she quickly stepped over him, gracefully avoiding his beer belly, and ventured further into the inn, looking for, er, a captain, she knew that much. Agneta rooted around in her pocket, looking for the scrap of paper that had led her halfway across the world, and with a victorious “Aha!”, she pulled it out. Crumpled as it was, the text was still mostly legible.

“Explore the Wandering Isles! Join a Crew* today!”

A list of ships followed, all of which looked boring and merchant-y, bar one. Le Faucon. A French name, so it logically had to have a French captain. And… the French probably wore blue? Well, better than no clue at all. 

Having stuffed the scrap back into her pocket, Agneta scanned the hazy, annoyingly dimly lit room, looking for someone dignified in a blue coat. The large man at the bar, perhaps? No, he clearly wasn’t waiting for anyone, if the neat house of cards in front of him was anything to go by. And yet, he seemed like the only blue coat-clad person here! That was, until, a slight flash of blue in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Agneta swivelled, and was very much surprised by what she saw.

A woman, with a very finely looked after bun of black hair, wearing what very much looked to be a French uniform. It had a frock and a blue coat, and that seemed about right. Sitting next to her was a heavy set man, with rough features. A bodyguard, maybe? Neither of them seemed to have any weapons, though the man hardly looked like he needed any. The two of them were in deep conversation; it was very likely that they hadn’t noticed Agneta enter at all!

Opting to take her chances with the more official looking pair, Agneta put on her best smile, and paced on over to them, giving a wave to try and get their attention before she got there. It worked! Sort of. They stopped talking and looked at her, which was a start. Once she got to them, the real charm offensive could begin.

“Hi, I’m Agneta, Agneta Hellquist, I saw the pamphlet, and I thought, ‘wow, your ship sounds great!’ so I followed up on it to see if I could get anywhere and here you are so do I have to get interviewed or do I need to prove myse-” The presumed captain raising her hand quickly stopped Agneta. Her large friend looked amused. Her, not so much. However, much to Agneta’s relief, the open palm quickly turned into an open handshake, which the girl eagerly took. Oh, but not for too long. Or was it too long? Either way, she sat down, and waited.

The woman cleared her throat, before speaking, her voice clearly accented. “Caroline Jacquinot. Captain of Le Faucon, as you rightly assumed. This,” she gestured to the man, “is Javier Ortiz, my first mate.” The man nodded, and so did Agneta, and he stayed silent, though his amused grin was still plastered on his face. The captain continued. “A short interview will suffice, I think. Have you any previous experience serving on a ship?”

Agneta had prepared for questions, but she was still somehow caught off guard. “Oh! Erm, My father taught me how to work a sailboat? I’m also very good at following orders! And I’m great at rigging!”

Caroline nodded slightly, though her expression gave nothing away. “Bon, that is acceptable. Secondly, have you ever had to share a room? Or even a bed? Would you be opposed to that?”

That seemed… an unusual question. The ship may well have been smaller than Agneta had thought. “Oh, never, but I don’t think I’d mind.”

“Very well. Finally, what brought you here? Not the pamphlet, I mean, why did you come here?” The captain asked, leaning forward. Her blue eyes seemed to pierce into Agneta’s very soul, which, surprisingly enough, made it kind of hard to answer.

“To… see new things? Adventure. And, Sweden was kind of boring?” Hopefully the kind of answer Caroline wanted. If it was, she really wasn’t making that obvious. She and Javier simply glanced at each other, seeming to wordlessly discuss their new candidate. Then, just as the silence was becoming a bit too long and awkward, Javier reached over, and gave Agneta a pat on the shoulder, which almost sent her flying off her seat. 

“Welcome to the crew, señorita!”


	3. Birdspotting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first look at the small ship! Or big boat. Also, new character!

After the necessary and very boring paperwork had been completed, which simply involved her signing various papers, Agneta was officially the newest member of Captain Jacquinot’s fine crew. And now, it was time to meet the ship. Agneta had read about it, naturally. Though the pamphlet hadn’t gone into much detail, she still knew the name, Le Faucon, and the fact that it was a schooner. Not much else admittedly, but that would make the reveal so much better.

Having made their way out of the stuffy pub, Caroline led the way to the docks, her very presence parting the crowd, much to Agneta’s delighted surprise. No more pushing and apologising! The Captain seemed really well known here. Or maybe it was just the fact that her and Javier looked so intimidated. Could even be both. Whatever it was, just being near the two of them made Agneta excited. And the fact that she was now part of their crew? It was like a childhood dream come true. The day could hardly get any better!

And then it did. Rounding the corner, they reached the docks, and there, framed against the imposing hull of a galleon, was the Faucon. Like, definitely. The name was written across the aft cabin in big, gold lettering. Its crimson hull gently rocked from side to side, while its tall masts just barely reached the deck of the huge ship next to it. A row of long, dark cannons lined either side of the deck, some conspicuously wider and shorter than the others. It looked sleek, dignified. Agneta could only imagine how impressive it looked with the wind in its sails, setting out into the unknown. Not that she’d have to imagine for very long, at least.

Caroline stopped, grinning proudly. She gestured towards the ship, showing it off. “There she is. Mon Faucon. A beautiful ship, isn’t she? She can do fifteen knots, if the wind is good.” She stated, clearly quite pleased with herself, and her vessel. Caroline paused for a while admiring the smooth curves of her ship, before apparently remembering something. “Bon, time for you to meet the crew.”

With that, they set off again, Agneta giddy with excitement. Fifteen knots?! Good wind couldn’t be the only reason for that. What secrets did the ship hold? As they got closer and closer to the ship, her curiosity mounted, and she was tempted to maybe ask Javier, but he seemed to have disappeared somewhere. 

Ah, there he was, by a lifter-looking thing, organising boxes of, probably, supplies. He carried the big crates with surprising ease, but then again, he was a very big man. Javier seemed to notice Agneta watching, and so he gave her a little wave.

Now excited, curious, and smiling, Agneta eagerly followed Caroline along the mercifully level gangplank, and onto the ship. The boards creaked beneath her feet, and now that she was actually on the ship, it was amazing just how much she could hear. Creaking, clunking, and some frankly bizarre noises coming from below deck. Weirdly... squishy? Agneta thought it best not to ask. Caroline was off pacing about the ship, anyhow, doing what looked like important things.

But before Agneta started to feel like she was being snubbed, or something, the trapdoor leading below deck swung open, and an exasperated girl stormed out. Even as miffed as she was, her auburn hair and soft, noble features caught Agneta’s eye, as did her large, impractical sky-blue dress, with a matching umbrella. Straight out of a ball, that was. The girl stomped around on the deck for a while, until she spotted Agneta. Almost immediately, her expression brightened, and she approached her, hand politely outstretched. 

“Ah, you must be the new member! I’m Helena Barrington, how-do-you-do? Oh, it’s positively refreshing to welcome someone new aboard! So, go on, tell me about yourself!” The girl quickly and keenly got her words out, almost in a practiced manner.

Slightly bewildered, Agneta took her hand, and shook it. “I’m Agneta Hellquist, and, uhm, I don’t know, I like adventure, I like ships, and I am very happy, and honoured! To be here!” She stopped shaking Helena’s hand, since she figured it was going on a bit too long. Plus, probably a good idea not to ask the question she was about to ask while shaking hands.

“You, erm, seemed a bit annoyed? Is everything alright?”

Helena’s smile flickered, but she still kept up her prim and proper politeness. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just my brother. He’s… well, it’s never boring with him around. I mean, can you believe that he wants to strap bait to the ship to try and tame one of those vicious flying creatures? And that’s not all! He even- hmmm, apologies. I sometimes get a bit carried away, you see.” She explained, to Agneta’s bemusement. Being an only child herself, she knew little about Helena’s troubles, but they were entertaining nonetheless. She nodded, trying to hide her smile.

“I see, of course. He’s still downstairs?”

“It’s below deck, and yes, he is. He hardly ever comes up, really. Honestly, for the best. But, enough about him! What’s your… role, on the ship?”

That question came as a bit of a surprise. Partly because she’d expected everyone onboard to know what sort of crewmate they were missing, and partly because Agneta wasn’t all that sure herself. Shrugging, she came up with the best answer she could.

“I can do stuff. Ropes, carrying things, uhm… I might know how to work a cannon?” That last bit may or may not have been true, but how hard could it be? She wanted to seem good and useful, so every little helped.

Whether or not Helena took note of the less-than-truth, she didn’t show it. Instead, she simply nodded in the polite fashion that nobles seemed so good at. “Wonderful. Now, I’ve been dreading this, but, I suppose it’s time for you to meet my brother, assuming he hasn’t locked himself in his study. Just, bear with him, yes? Good. Come along now, follow me, and mind your head!” With that warning hanging in the air, Helena swiftly turned around, and walked down the steps leading into the heart of the ship. Agneta followed suit, and as she passed through the trapdoor frame, a small dent in the wood caught her eye. Huh. As she walked further down, darkness wrapped around her and Helena, a couple of lanterns the only light in the narrow hallway that ran the length of the ship.

With a tired sigh, Helena gently tapped a door with her umbrella’s handle, and waited.


End file.
